User blog:Sclera1/Characters in the Paper Mario series
This article displays the characters from the Paper Mario series of video games, which consists of Paper Mario, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and Super Paper Mario. Paper Mario featured "distinctive retro-style 2-D-looking paper-cutout characters",Steven E. Jones, The Meaning of Video Games (2008), 139. which GameAxis Unwired praised as "colorful".Jason Woo, GameAxis Unwired 15 (Nov 2004): 26. Development Main characters These are the four playable characters from the Paper Mario series: Mario, Princess Peach, Bowser, and Luigi.Erik Hoftun, Jorgen Kirksaeter, Morten A. Osterholt, and Bendik Stang, "Super Paper Mario," The Book of Games Volume 2: The Ultimate Reference on PC & Video Games (2007), 182. Matt Casamassina of IGN notes the main characters are "all fun to play for different reasons" and that the ease of moving between playable characters "is a plus since there are some well-designed puzzles that require you to use two or more of the heroes to continue forward."Matt Casamassina, "[http://wii.ign.com/articles/778/778606p1.html Super Paper Mario Review: 2D and 3D come together as platformer and RPG join hands in Nintendo's fun (and nearly unclassifiable) new Mario outing]," IGN (April 5, 2007). Party Members In his adventures, Mario is assisted by various partners. Paper Mario *'Goombario', the Goomba, takes his father's advice and accompanies Mario to save the Star Spirits. He is a big fan of Mario and even wears a blue hat similar to Mario's (his name is even a combination of Goomba and Mario). Goombario can use his tattle to find out where Mario is and tell him about the people they meet. *'Kooper', the Koopa Troopa, joins Mario's party to follow in the footsteps of his childhood hero, the archaeologist Kolorado. He can retreat into his shell and Mario can shoot him out short distances, allowing him to flip switches, grab items and attack enemies. *'Bombette', the Bob-omb, is an unwilling minion of the Koopa Bros.; when her temper got the better of her, she literally exploded on them, resulting in her being sent to the dungeon. She joins Mario to rebel against her captors. She can explode, allowing Mario to destroy cracked walls, destroy boulders, flip switches and attack enemies. *'Parakarry' is a Paratroopa mailman. Parakarry joins Mario's party after they help him recover the letters he's lost in Dry Dry Desert as well as other parts of the Mushroom Kingdom. He can carry Mario for a short amount of time, flying over gaps Mario cannot jump over. *'Lady Bow' is a member of Boo royalty; she holds the Star Spirit Skolar as part of a bargain until Mario takes down the Boo-eating Tubba Blubba and save her subjects. She can makes Mario invisible from enemy attacks and not get attacked by an enemy. *'Watt' is a baby electric spark. She was imprisoned in a lantern by the Big Lantern Ghost of Shy Guy's Toybox, and joins Mario after he frees her. Mario can hold her like a lantern to light up dark areas and allowing him to find invisible blocks and items. *'Sushie' is a Cheep-Cheep and the babysitter of five Yoshi children on Lavalava Island. Her name is a pun on sushi. She joins Mario to find the missing Yoshis. After Mario reaches a dock, he can hop on Sushie and swim on the surface of water and dive. *'Lakilester', the Lakitu, introduces himself as "Michael", before settling on his nickname "Spike", then attacks. After he is defeated, his girlfriend asks Mario not to finish him. Lakilester then joins his party. Mario can hop on his cloud and hover over certain surfaces, such as spikes and lava, without getting hurt. The Thousand-Year Door *'Goombella' is an aspiring archaeologist. She was one of Prof. Frankly's students and she is the first to join Mario to find the Crystal Stars after he saves her from Lord Crump. *'Koops' is a timid Koopa. He lives in Petal Meadows, which is being besieged by the dragon Hooktail. He joins Mario to save his town, avenge his father, and prove himself to his girlfriend, Koopie Koo. *'Madame Flurrie' is a cloud spirit actress; disillusioned with the world, she retires to the secluded Boggly Woods. When the Punis of the Great Tree are in danger, she joins Mario to save them. *'Yoshi' is a baby Yoshi that the player can name in the game. Mario rescues his egg from a hotdog vendor in the Glitz Pit, and he follows Mario after he hatches. His colors vary depending on how long it takes for the egg to hatch. *'Vivian' is the youngest of the Shadow Siren sisters. Vivian is constantly put down by her oldest sister, Beldam, and blamed for anything that goes wrong. Mario helps her recover her sisters' missing Superbobomb, although Vivian is unaware of who he is. When she discovers his true identity, she is at first hurt, but then joins him. Vivian is a male in the original Japanese version of the game. *'Admiral Bobbery' is an old Bob-Bomb sailor. Bobbery retired from the seas after his wife, Scarlette, died, blaming himself for her death. When Mario shows him an old letter written on Scarlette's deathbed, he once again sets out towards Keelhaul Key. *'Ms. Mowz' is the only optional partner. A Squeek mouse, she helps run the Lovely Howz of Badges; in actuality, she is a world-famous badge thief. When Mario completes her quest by finding the secret badge in Hooktail Castle, she joins the team. Super Paper Mario In Super Paper Mario, Mario is assisted by digital fairy-like beings known as Pixls. These include Tippi, a main character, as well as others, including Thoreau, Boomer, Slim, Thudley, Carrie, Fleep, Cudge, Dottie, Barry, Dashell, Piccolo, and Tiptron. Tippi can reveal hidden doors, stairways, and other objects and examine enemies to discover their weaknesses. She was originally a human girl named Timpani, Blumiere's lover. Because he did not approve of his son's relationship with Timpani, Blumiere's father banished Timpani to another dimension, forced to drift through dimensions till she died. This caused Blumiere's villainous transformation into Count Bleck. Timpani was rescued by Merlon and turned into a Pixl, however she suffered amnesia and lost her memories of her former life. When she encounters Count Bleck, her memories start to resurface and at the end of the game, she sealed her vows with Blumiere, bringing about the destruction of the Chaos Heart (and seemingly the two lovers). At the end of the credits, it is revealed that Blumiere and Timpani survived, sitting on a grassy hill, under a tree. Only the silhouettes are seen. Her name is based on the word 'tip', as she gives tips on what to do at certain times. A timpani is a type of musical instrument. Other characters Paper Mario *'Twink' is young Star Kid. At the beginning of Paper Mario, he is a newly risen Star Kid and is summoned by Peach when she wishes for help against Bowser. He helps Peach sneak out of her room to deliver the Lucky Star (a medallion allowing Mario and his partners to use action commands) and information to Mario, along with giving him the ability to perform special battle moves. He tries to save Peach from being tied up by Bowser but Bowser simply swipes him away. He returns in the final confrontation and defeats Kammy Koopa while contributing his power to the Star Beam. *'Goombario's Family': Goombario has a family that lives in Goomba village. His mother is Goomama, his father is Goompapa, his grandmother is Gooma, his grandfather is Goompa, and his sister is Goombaria. Goombaria discovered Mario after he was beaten up by Bowser in their first battle in Paper Mario and the family help nurse him back to health. *'Tayce T.' is a female toad that lives in Toad Town. Her name is a pun on the word "Tasty". She is renowned for her culinary skills and will make various food items for Mario. Later on in the game her frying pan is stolen by the Shy Guys, rendering her unable to cook, Mario retrieves her frying pan and returns it. Also, after Mario gives her the cookbook that Gourmet Guy left behind, she is able to combine two items to make more complex dishes. *'Professor Kolorado': Kolorado is a Koopa archaeologist from Koopa Village. Kooper idolizes him and his wife constantly worries for his safety, since he rarely stays home for very long. Mario and his friends first meet him in Dry Dry Desert, where Kolorado and his team are in search for Dry Dry Ruins. Later, Mario meets Kolorado in his journey to Lavalava Island. During this part of the adventure, Kolorado is obsessed with finding a "treasure" that he believes to be hidden in Mt. Lavalava, so much that he puts his own life in danger and gets himself hurt or in trouble. He finally finds the "treasure" after Mario defeats the Lava Pirahna, but is unable to retrieve it before the volcano erupts. Even though Misstar was able to rescue Mario and Kolorado, Kolorado is saddened that he did not get the "treasure". Later, Mario obtains the treasure from the island and exchanges it for a Magical Seed Kolorado got from a Bub-ulb on the island. He briefly returns home to Koopa Village, but at the end of the game he, Kooper, and his team are in the process of exploring the Crystal Palace when Parakarry arrives to deliver Princess Peach's invitation to Kooper and Kolorado's wife's message to come home. He is last seen in Toad Town with his wife to attend the party at Princess Peach's castle. He is also mentioned in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, his father was a victim of Hooktail and his remains can be found in Hooktail's Castle with a note revealing Hooktail's weakness. *'Koopa Koot': An elder Koopa Troopa that lives in Koopa Village. He is very demanding and controlling, often getting others to do things for him. In Paper Mario he asks Mario to do various favors for him such as giving him common items, to getting items back from friends and getting Luigi's and Merluvlee's autographs. He is last seen at the end of Paper Mario in Toad Town to attend Princess Peach's party. *'Moustafa' is a mouse who lives in Dry Dry Outpost. He is a descendent of the beings who built the Dry Dry Ruins and it is his duty to see to it that no evil enters. He disguises himself as a mouse name Sheek. He tests Mario to see if he is trustworthy and gives him the Pulse Stone in order to find and unearth the Dry Dry Ruins. *'Bootler': A Boo butler and loyal servant of Lady Bow. He constantly frets over Bow's safety. He requests to go with Bow to help Mario fight Tubba Blubba but she denies him this wish. He makes a cameo in Thousand-Year Door, accompanying Bow to Poshley Heights. *'Yoshi Kids': The Yoshi kids are the children of the Yoshi's of Lavalava Island. They are looked after by Sushie but they often disobey her and explore the jungle. During Mario's visit to Lavalava Island, Sushie asks him for help after the Yoshi Kids disobey her and go off into the jungle. Mario, with Sushie's help, is able to find and rescue all of the children. *'Raphael the Raven' is the guardian of Lavalava Island and the Yoshis sometimes visit him for advice. After Mario finds the Yoshi Kids, the Yoshi Chief suggests Mario to find Raphael for help into Mt. Lavalava. Raphael then leads Mario and Kolorado to the volcano and he commands his squadron of ravens to build a pully into the volcano. *'Wise Wisterwood': The Wise Wisterwood is a talking tree that lives in Flower Fields. He watches over the other flowers and plant creatures that live in the fields. He also serves as a door that connecs from Flower Fields to the Door in the flower garden in Toad Town. *'Lakilulu': Lakilester's girlfriend that he tries to impress. When Mario defeats Lakilester, Lakilulu begs for Mario to forgive him. After Lakilester joins Mario's group, Lakilulu promises to wait for his return. The Star Spirits The Star Spirits are a group of deity-like beings that reside in Star Haven in the heavens and watch over the Mushroom Kingdom, granting the wishes of the good people using the Star Rod. They also possess the power to neutralize the Star Rod's power should it fall into the wrong hands. In Paper Mario, Bowser stole the Star Rod and captured the Star Spirits, turning them into cards and placing his most powerful followers to guard them. These characters also appear in Mario Party 5. *'Eldstar': The revered elder of Star Haven. His move, Refresh, restores Mario's HP and FP by 5. He plays a more active role in guiding Mario, he is the one who delivers the message of the Star Spirits' imprisonment to Mario while he is resting in the Toad House in Goomba Village. Eldstar was the first to be rescued by Mario and was being guarded by the Koopa Bros. *'Mamar': The kindhearted, maternal Star Spirit. She can use her move, Lullaby, to put all enemies to sleep. Mamar was the second Star Spirit to be rescued and was guarded by Tutankoopa in the Dry Dry Ruins. *'Skolar': The studious Star Spirit. His move, Star Storm, causes 7 HP damage to all enemies. He was the third Star Spirit to be rescued and was at first guarded by Tubba Blubba until he managed to escape his clutches, but then he got lost in the Forever Forest and was nabbed by the Boos. Lady Bow, the leader of the boos, offers to hand Skolar over to Mario if he helped defeat Tubba Blubba. *'Muskular': The young, muscular Star Spirit that is full of energy. His move, Chill Out, lowers all enemies' attack power by 3. Muskular was the fourth Star Spirit to be rescued and was guarded by General Guy and his Shy Guy army in their Toy Box. He was also the first Star Spirit Twink met in person and Muskular was familiar with Twink, saying that the Star Spirits are familiar with all Star Kids, saying that they were all like one big family. *'Misstar': The flirtatious, sweet Star Spirit. She has a kind, but strong heart. Her move, Smooch, restores Mario's HP by 20. She was the fifth Star Spirit to be rescued and was being guarded by the Lava Pirahna in Mt. Lavalava. After Mario defeated the Lava Piranha and rescued her, Misstar helped Mario and Kolorado escape Mt. Lavalava while it was erupting. She also scolded Kolorado when he was saddened to not get the "treasure" saying that life is more important than treasure. *'Klevar': The sharp, young Star Spirit that is always seen carrying a book. He freezes enemies with Time Out. He is the sixth Star Spirit to be rescued and was being held by Huff N. Puff. *'Kalmar': A warm-hearted Star Spirit, he dislikes fighting and arguing. His move, Up and Away, turns enemies into stars. He was the seventh and final Star Spirit to be rescued and was being held by the Crystal King in the Crystal Palace. The Thousand-Year Door *'Toadsworth' is Princess Peach's attendant. He almost always stays by her side. At the beginning of Thousand-Year Door he and Princess Peach were on vacation but then Peach wandered off while Toadsworth wasn't looking. After he loses her he meets Mario in Rogueport and asks that he find her quickly. It is revealed in this game that he is 55 years old and had a brief romantic relationship with Zess T. *'Professor Frankly' is a Goomba professor and Goombella's archaeology teacher at the University of Goom. During Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Frankly was researching the legend of the Thousand-Year Door. He helps Mario find the Crystal Stars. Near the end of the game, he is kidnapped by the Shadow Sirens and locked in a room in the Palace of Shadow while Doopliss mimicks his appearance in order to trick Mario to open the Thousand-Year Door. Later, Frankly follows Mario and the X-Nauts into the Palace of Shadow and discovers a treasure chest containing a Dried Shroom. *'The Punis': The Punis are a species of small gray creatures that live in the Great Boggely Tree. A long time ago, the Punis were preyed on by the monsters in Boggely Woods. One of the four heroes that defeated the Shadow Queen, the Wise Goomba, took pity on the Punis and carved out the Great Tree for the Punis to live in. In return the Punis promised the Goomba to guard one of the Crystal Stars. The Punis are often in conflict with other creatures in the tree, such as the Piders (whom they have a great fear of) and the mosquito-like Jabbi Tribe. Flurrie befriended the Punis when she moved to Boggely Woods. After Mario gets the first Crystal Star, he meets one of the Punis, Punio, in Rogueport Sewers. Punio reveals to Mario that the X-Nauts had intruded in the tree and captured the other Punis and he had left to find help. When they get to the tree, they find it sealed closed, so Punio suggests having Flurrie use her wind powers to find the secret entrance. Mario helps Punio rescue the Puni Elder as well as his little sister Petuni and the other Punis. They also learn from one of the other Punis, Puniper, that the Jabbi Tribe allied with the X-Nauts in hopes of taking over the tree in return for helping the X-Nauts find the Crystal Star. Mario and his friends lead the Punis on a journey to find the Crystal Star, along the way the meet Jabble, a Jabbi that Punio befriended and despite being a Jabbi, Jabble helps Mario and the Punis in their adventure. Through their help, Mario and his friends defeat the X-Nauts and drive them from the tree. Afterwards it seems the Punis have made peace with the Jabbis. Another Puni named Mover is found in the Pit of 100 Trials and can move Mario and his friends 2 or 5 floors lower or be taken to the entrance. Super Paper Mario *'Bestovius': A wizard living in Lineland, Bestovius gives Mario the power to flip into 3D to bypass various obstacles and partake of secrets that could not be seen in 2D. Also, he helps later on, with a side-quest to obtain Piccolo. *'Francis':A lizard that lives in the Bitlands. He kidnaps Tippi in chapter 3-1. *'Squirps' *'Flint Cragley' *'King Sammer' *'Queen Jaydes' Queen of the Underwhere and Luvbi's mother. *'Luvbi' A Nimbi of the Overthere. She actually turned out to be the eighth Pure Heart disguised as a Nimbi, and sacrificed herself to help Mario save the universe. *'Nolrem' Merlon Family In all three of the Paper Mario games, Mario and his friends are assisted by a character named Merlon, as well as his similarly named family. Whether these characters in each game are the same or different people entirely, it is never actually stated. Their names are probably derived from Merlin, King Arthur's famed advisor. *'Merlon': Merlon has had various roles throughout the series. In Paper Mario, he was a fortune teller who would tell the player's forture for the mere price of 5 coins. In Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Merlon ran a shop where the player would bring collectible items in exchange for powering up the player's party. In Super Paper Mario, Merlon is central to the plot. He resides in Flipside and possesses the Light Prognosticus, which was made to counter the Dark Prognosticus. He was the one who found the wounded Timpani and transformed her into a Pixl, Tippi, to save her life at the cost of her memories. Merlon owned the first Pure Heart that was needed to open the first door, to Lineland. He has a parallel version of himself, Nolrem, who resides in Flopside. *'Merlee': Merlee has similar roles throughout the series. She gives the player bonuses in Paper Mario, running a backstreet shop in Dry Dry Outpost. In Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door and Super Paper Mario, she did the same, but in the latter, she was also part of the plot (owning a house). *'Merlow': A one-time character in Paper Mario, he exchanged Star Pieces, found across the land, for badges, which powered up the player. *'Merluvlee': Merluvlee tells fortunes throughout the game. In Paper Mario, she told of bonuses. In Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, she told of bonuses and the player's next path. In Super Paper Mario, she told only of the next path. *'Merlumina': Only appearing in Super Paper Mario, she is a ghost of "The Ancients", a tribe that lived 1,500 years ago. Villains Paper Mario Jr. Troopa is a young Koopa Troopa. Mario and Goompa stumble into his playground while searching for Goompa's hammer. Mario fights and defeats him. To this Jr. Troopa vows revenge. He continually trains for battle and follows Mario and his friends on their journey. They encounter and defeat him on Pleasant Path and Forever Forest and he even swam across the ocean to Lavalava Island to fight Mario, only to force himself to swim all the way back. Kent C. Koopa is an enormous Koopa Troopa that used to live in Koopa Village. He is quite greedy and uses Pleasent Path as a toll ro Category:Blog posts